Self-aligning valve seating tool



May 15, 1 2 A. H. BETTENHAUSEN SELF-ALIGNING VALVE SEATING TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 13, 1959 PIC-3.2

FIG.5

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INVENTOR. ARNOLD H. BETTENHAUSEN y 1962 A. H. BETTENHAUSEN 3,034,269

SELFALIGNING VALVE SEATING TOQL Filed July 13, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ARNOLD H.BETT.E N HAU SEN United States Patent 3,034,269 SELF-ALIGNWG VALVE SEATING TQOL Arnold H. Bettenhausen, 1535 S. 22nd St, Lincoln, Nebr. Filed Italy 13, 1959, Ser. No. 826,723 3 Claims. (Cl. 51-241) This invention relates to valve seating tools for grinding new surfaces on old valves.

It is to be particularly distinguished that it is an object of my invention to provide a tool for grinding a surface on a valve which does not have a valve stem-guide which can be used for aligning the grinding tool. Many valves, particularly automotive valves, have valve stem guide provisions involving a bore in perfect alignment with the valve surfaces whereby a valve seat grinder can be provided with a pilot shaft attached to the valve seat grinder whereby when the grinder is applied to the valve, there is no problem of misalignment of the grinding surfaces because the pilot shaft, cooperating with the guide that is part of the valve area of the work piece, perfectly aligns the grinding tool.

However, valves which lack this valve stem guide provision must be seated with a tool lacking a pilot shaft and this is a much different and heretofore unsolved problem.

The lack of a solution to this problem, valves of steam and water systems are thrown away and replaced by the millions.

Decades ago, there was a practice of reseating steam and water valves of this type by means of grinding tools attached to a common hand brace. However, the tools used therewith had grinding surfaces made of steel and these quickly became dull, whereby such tools would be useless for valve grinding whether used with a hand brace, or used with a power drill.

The solution to this problem cannot be simply the use of Carborundum cloth or paper grinding surfaces to tools used with a power drill, or otherwise, because in the types of valves involved with my invention which are water and steam valves, and as distinguished from automobile valves, there is no valve guide to use the pilot shaft with and the problem of aligning the grinding surface is unsolved.

i am aware that in certain earlier patents, a valve seat grinder is shown which uses a coil spring between a drill and the valve grinding tool. This will work satisfactorily for the type of valve used in the earlier patents because the earlier patentees were working on the type of a valve that has a valve guide adapted to receive a pilot shaft attached to the lower end of the valve grinding tool. However, when working on a water or steam valve not having a valve stem guide, one cannot have benefit of a pilot shaft, and in such a case, I have discovered that the tool will not align itself properly because there is insufiicient flexibility in the coil spring. One might say that the solution then is to make the coil spring lighter and more flexible. However, while this will work for very small valves, it will not work for larger ones because the flexible spring, if flexible enough for alignment, will be so weak that it will break.

It is because I have solved the problem of breakage of springs that my grinder will grind valves varying in opening diameter one-eighth of an inch to six inches, all done with the same spring adapter'of my invention for connecting the grinding tool to the drill.

A single spring which would beheavy enough for a large valve would be too heavy a spring for a little valve. However, I have discovered that when my concept of multiple concentric springs is used, then a spring set that is heavy enough for a large valve grinding is sufficiently flexible for a small valve grinding. Hence, with multiple 3,934,259 Patented May 15, 1962 'ice weak springs instead of one strong spring, I achieve amazing versatility and can grind valves of all common sizes.

My spring adapter is difierent in that it employs concentric springs rather than a single spring. When a single spring is used, it is either insufliciently flexible, for proper seating and alignment of a large valve, or it is too stiff for proper alignment, or else it is too weak and it breaks.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a connector formed of concentric springs whereby the connector can therefore be flexible enough for alignment and strong enough to prevent breakage, both at the same time, whereby large valve surfaces can be ground.

The basic principle of alignment used in my invention is suitable only for reseating valves that have already been manufactured and are already in use. Such valves have a surface which is already made and is, therefore, suitable enough to provide'the grinding tool with an alignment provided the grinding tool is permitted to follow the surface of the older valve without becoming misaligned because of faulty holding of the power drill by the operator or because the power drill must be held at an angle to clear some obstruction.

A further object of the invention is to solve the problem of the attachment of Carborundum paper to a frustroconical tool. I am aware that a tool of this sort is shown in the above mentioned earlier patents. However, it is the object of my invention to provide the tool with slots into which the ends of pieces of grinding paper can be inserted whereby each end of the piece of paper is inserted into a dilferent'place on the tool whereby attachment of the paper can be accomplished without the unscrewing of a holding-bolt such as is commonly used on most older methods ofattachment.

A further object is to provide means for attaching Carborundum paper to a tool which has a concave surface of frustro-conical shape, and Which presents the problem to which attachment by means of fittings and bolts is extremely diflicult, my solution involving slots in the surface as described.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectionthrough a valve body with the valve elements removed and showing the reseating tool in operative position on the valve body.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section through the upper end of the flexible shaft, taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, showing the arrangement of the concentric springs, with parts of the springs broken away, and also showing the adapter for connecting the upper end of the shaft to a chuck or other part of a hand drill, the parts being shown on an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 3 is a cross section through the flexible shaft,

taken on line 3-3 of'FIGURE 1, looking upwardly, and

showing the arrangement of the concentric springs, the parts also being shown on an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 4 is a view looking upwardly showing the spacer on the lower end of the flexible shaft with the parts shown on an enlarged scale, and showing a sheet of Carborundum or emery paper before being folded around the spacer.

FIGURES is a longitudinal sectional view similar to that shown in FIGURE 1, showing a modification wherein the spacer is replaced by a grinding tool of a different design.

FEGURE 6 is a side elevational view, with parts shown in section, showing a method of attaching a concave grinding tool to the end of the flexible shaft for grinding the lower portion of the valve element.

FIGURE 7 is a longitudinal section through a grinding tool for grinding the lower portion of a valve stem with provided for holding a sheet the lower end of the shaft; with notches 44 to facilitate folding a sheet of Carborunapogeea 3 the tool removed from the flexible shaft and with the parts shown on an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view of a grinding head showing a modification wherein a V-shaped slot is of Carborundum paper or cloth thereon. V 7

While one embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the above-referred-to drawings, it is to be understood that they are merely for the purpose of illustration and that various changes in construction may be resorted to in the course of manufacture in order that the invention may be utilized to the best advantage according to circumstances which may arise, without in any manner departing from the spirit and intention of the device, which is to be limited only in accordance with the appended claims. And while there is stated the primary field of utility of the invention it remains obvious'that it may be employed in any other capacity wherein'it may be found applicable.

In the accompanying drawings, and in the following specification, the same reference characters are used to designate the same parts and elements throughout, and in which the numeral It? refers to the invention in its entirety, numeral 12 indicating a flexible power transfer means or shaft including concentric coil springs 14, numeral 16 a first cap positioned on the upper end of the shaft, numeral 18 a second or lower cap or collar in which the lower end of the shaft is mounted, numeral 20 an abrasive material holder or a spacer secured to v The cap 16, in which the upper ends of the springs 14 are secured, is provided with an internally threaded hub 32 in whicha threaded stud 34,0f an adapter '36 is threaded, and the upper end of the adapter is formed to be held in a chuck 38 or the like of a hand drill or other machine tool, as shown in FIGURE 1. The collar 18,

which is secured to the lowerend of the flexible shaft may be provided with a threaded opening to receive the cap screw 22, or the collar may be provided with a threaded stud 49 by which ahead 42 may be held on The spacer 2!) is provided dum 45, clamped between the spacer and collar 18, in position for grinding a valve, seat 46, as shown in FIG- URE '1. r

The guide 24 is provided with a center opening 48 throughwhich the flexible shaft 12 extends, and the under surface is providedwith an annular recess 50 having a frustro-conical-shaped outer wall 52 that is positioned to rest upon the .outer surface of the threaded upperend '54 of the neck extended from the valve body 26. With a the outer surface of the recess inclined the guide may be used "on necks of'various sizes.

In the design illustrated in FIGURE a flexible shaft 56 having a collar 58 on the lower end is'providedwith 24 of the design shown in FIGURE 1.

The'grinding tool or head 42, secured to the collar 'of'the flexible'shaft by the stud 40, is similar to the head 28 except that slots 74 and 76 therein are spaced a greater distance than corresponding slots' 78 and 8d of the head 28, and the tool orhead 69 is also similar except that a V-shaped slot 82 is provided in the wall thereof, and the outer surface of the 'wall is tapering or frustro-conical 1 shaped to correspond with a valveseat.

As illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7 the Carborundum cloth or paper is inserted through the slots of the heads with thecloth or paper bulging on the inside and as the grinding element is inserted in the valve seat.

. I 4 head is rotated a valve element 84 is ground to correspond with a valve seat. The valve element is formed on the end of a valve stem and may be an integral part thereof or secured thereto by suitable means.

It will be seen that by using'multiple springs, each attached to the caps, I achieve far greater flexibility equal to the strength of the flexible shaft than would be the case if a single spring were used which single spring would be of a strength equal to the combined strength of the multiple springs.

Operation In use the flexible shaft is secured in a hand drill or other machine and with the guide on the upper end of the neck of the valve body the lower end of the shaft is inserted through the opening of the guide whereby the By this means the upper surface of the valve seat, or inner wall thereof may be accurately ground without scientificate alignment makinggrinding valves 'or valve seats a relatively simple operation.

The Carborundum or emery cloth or paper may be removed and replaced as desired.

From the foregoing specification, it will become apparent that the invention disclosed will adequately accomplish the functions for which it has been designed and in an economical manner, and that its' simplicity, accuracy, and ease of operation are such as to provide a relatively inexpensive device, considering what it will accomplish, and that it will find an important place in the art to which it appertains when once placed on the market.

it is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after considering the description in connection with the drawings. lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Changes in shape, size, and arrangement of details and parts, such as come within the purview of the invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired. The lower end of the holder 20 is disposed normal to an axis of the elongated flexible shaft or power transfer means.

Having now described the invention that which is i claimed to be new and desired to be procured by Letters Patent is:

11 In a valve seat grinding tool, the combination which comprises a flexible shaft including a plurality of concentrically positioned springs, a first cap in which upper ehds of the springs are secured, said first cap having a longitudinally disposed internally threaded hub dBPEl'id',

ing from the upper end and positioned onzthe axis thereof, an adapter threaded insaid hub and extended from the upper end of the first cap, said adapter providing mounting means forthe tool in a machine tool, a second cap in which lower ends of the springs are secured, said second cap having a threaded stud depending therefrom, a

J holder fora sheet offabrasivematerial positioned at the vend of saidsecond cap, and a guide positioned on the upper end of a valve body into which the flexible shaft extends and having an opening in which said flexible shaft is positioned.

2. In a valve grinding tool as in claim 1, wherein said guide comprises a body member having a tapering exterior surface, a recess having a tapering outer wall and a tapering inner wall, said tapering outer wall inclining downwardly and outwardly from an inner upper end of smaller diameter to an outer lower end of larger diameter, said tapering outer wall being spaced from said guide opening properly for engaging the outer side of the top of a valve neck at times when said flexible shaft is received in said guide opening, said inner wall tapering downwardly and toward said guide opening from an upper end of greater diameter toa lower end of lesser diameter and said inner wall of said recess being so spaced with respect to saidguide opening that when said guide is in certain uses, said inner wall of said recess Therefore, a more,

partially extends into the annular neck of a valve to References'Cited in the file of this patent 1 properly position said body member on the valve, said UNITED STATES PATENTS guide opening being spaced from said flexible shaft suf- I ficiently for rotation of said shaft relative to said guide 1,268,617 Raid "'7.- June 1918 and such spacing being of a size for effective positioning 5 1429146 Karge Sept 1922 of said shaft whereby that portion of said flexible shaft 1621428 Pedersen 1927 Which is disposed above said guide opening during grind- 2,0065% Dutm et July 1935 ing need not be held in alignment With said guide open- 2,085,280 Tyler June 1937 ing and a valve opening disposed in use beneath said guide 8,206 Thompson 1947 opening but can be held in substantially non-alignment 10 2,632,984 Kaplan M343 1953 and yet eifective grinding can be accomplished. 2,787,196 stadler 1957 3. In a valve grinding tool as in claim 1, wherein said 2,833,093 Shesler May 6, 1958 holder has a frustro-conical shaped exterior surface that 2,908,120 Jensen 13, 1959 is provided with converging slots therein for holding abrasive material and said holder is threaded onto the 15 FOREIGN PATENTS stud of said second cap. 324,866 Great Britain Feb. 6, 1930 

